Questions for a Speaker
Ten+ Questions to Ask a Motivational Business Speaker Before Hiring Them
Okay, so being a professional motivational business keynote speaker and workshop trainer myself, I am a wee bit biased. But having seen hundreds of speakers in action, and being on the other end of having to book speakers myself for conferences I was involved with, I also understand what a difficult decision it is to book a speaker—especially one you haven’t seen in action. The success or failure of an entire conference can hinge on the performance and impact of your main stage speakers.
So here are a few questions to ask any potential speaker before making the critically important investment into hiring a new motivational speaker for your next meeting.
1. Does the speaker have good quality testimonials? This is a word-of-mouth business, and any speaker that is well established and who excels on the platform will have quality testimonial references from extremely satisfied clients.
2. Why should we hire you specifically? What makes you different than other speakers out there speaking on the same topic?
3. What is your approach and belief when it comes to “motivating” an audience, or to motivation in the workplace? Do you think it’s even possible to motivate an audience?
4. What do you do to ensure the messages you deliver resonates with the audience and STAYS with the audience for a long time?
5. What are the core messages you deliver, and WHY do you deliver them? Can you tailor the messages for our theme or our particular industry or group?
6. What are your ideas based on? Where do you get your ideas, your knowledge and the examples you use in your presentations?
7. Keynote speakers can charge a rather heavy price for their fees. Why do you feel your fee is worth the investment, and do you provide a money-back guarantee?
8. How do you use humor effectively? Is it “safe” humor? How do you balance the mix between content and entertainment?
9. Why do you deliver the messages/topics that you do? What motivates YOU as a speaker?
10. What are some of the ideas you have developed, or that underpin your beliefs in regards to business or organizational culture? In other words, where is the speaker “coming from” on this particular topic?
If you have any questions you think should be added to this list, please pass them along to Michael Kerr at mike@mikekerr.com.
Copyright Michael Kerr, 2010, www.humoratwork.com, www.humoratwork.tv, mike@mikekerr.com
